Serious Talk
by Phlogistics
Summary: Murata and Shinou work up to having an actual conversation. One-shot, ShiMura and implied ShiDai.


_Disclaimer: If I owned Kyou Kara Maou... there's no scenario implausible enough to indicate what would happen if I own KKM._

_There are spoilers for the end of season two and one vague one for one small bit of the OVAs._

**Serious Talk**

Shinou had never been the sanest of people, Murata Ken mused to himself, and spending four thousand years as a spirit with no one to talk to but shrine maidens certainly hadn't done anything for his mental health. Ken wondered if Shinou's ailing mind could be blamed for his sudden, numerous and- in Ken's opinion- relatively pointless visits to his former advisor.

Take for example the one Ken was enduring right now. The conversation was mostly one-sided, with Shinou talking and Ken halfheartedly pretending he was listening. Tapping his foot to a tune that had been stuck in his head all week, he decided that if this went on too much longer, he'd simply have to walk out on Shinou. Really, there were other, more enjoyable, things he could be doing right now. Like flirting with that cute blond shrine maiden…

"So, what do you think?"

Ken blinked, realizing this was a question directed at him. He shrugged. "Well, at the moment I can't decide what to think. I'm leaning towards insanity, but there are numerous other possibilities to consider." Ken gazed up at Shinou. "Perhaps you could explain it to me."

Shinou smirked at him. "Well, you might be right. Personally, I think it's just a way of showing interest. Communication _is_ important to relationships."

Ken rolled his eyes. Shinou was one of the only people he knew who could enjoy speaking enough that they didn't care whether or not they were heard. "If you knew I wasn't listening, why not say something? You're just wasting both our time. Besides, it's not really communication if there's no _communicating_, which by definition would require two-way participation."

"You'll notice that this has already become a genuine conversation," Shinou said smugly. "It was inevitable that you eventually respond to me; no one has infinite patience. Not even you, my Sage."

There was silence for a moment; the change in mood was palpable.

"I'm not him, you know," Ken said quietly.

Shinou's gaze sharpened, his eyes boring into Ken's. He looked away. "Aren't you?"

"…Maybe. But that's not enough."

Shinou laid his hand on Ken's shoulder, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Why?"

Ken brushed him away. "We've both lived for a long time," he said, "but you've only lived one life. I've lived hundreds, and in all but one of those lives I never met you in person. I had the memories- _have_ them, but I would've be a fool to let them rule me. And I won't now.

"Besides," he added. "I'm attracted to women."

"As if I'm not more attractive than any woman-"

"That's not the point I was trying to make, and no matter how narcissistic you are, you already knew that. I won't be yours because of Daikenja," Ken said firmly. "I'm a new person, Murata Ken, and I happen to like myself too much to be your substitute." He huffed. "And there are _certainly_ women out there prettier than you. Like this one very nice girl I once met at a beach-"

Shinou reached out and laid his hand on Ken's cheek. "I like you as well, Murata Ken."

Ken raised an eyebrow, shooting him a doubtful look, but didn't push Shinou's hand away this time. "You don't really know me particularly well. Discussing how to avoid the end of world isn't the greatest way to get to know someone on a personal level."

"I plan to work on that," Shinou responded.

The conversation paused for a moment as Ken struggled to find a suitable reply. "…You do realize you're technically dead, and only solid within the confines of your temple without becoming doll-sized?"

Shinou smiled. "I know. But it is a rather large temple."

"Well, it was built to fit your ego."

"You wound me."

"I doubt that," Ken said.

"You always have been so wise."

Ken sighed. "I'm beginning to doubt that," he said. "This last decision I've made feels a little off to me."

"And what would that be?" Shinou asked.

Ken smiled wryly. "Giving you a chance."

A/N: So... yeah, it was really cheesy and not the greatest thing ever, but I really like those two characters (and I like them together), so I really wanted to try writing them. I also used "Ken" for Murata because it was written in third person omniscent, so it seemed inappropriate to use his last name. Shinou was used because the original king has no name, and that's how I think of him most of the time.

So, if there were mistakes, tell me please. If it was good, I'd really like to know. If it was horrible, tell me why and I'll work on it! So please, review!


End file.
